A Framework for Comparing the Risks and Benefits of Eating Contaminated Fish. P. D. Anderson, Ogden Environmental and Energy Services, Westford, MA
Most risk assessments investigating the potential risks associated with chemicals in fish focus on just the increased risks associated with eating fish. Perhaps because of this focus, most fish consumption advisories are also based only upon the potential risks associated with fish consumption. Yet consumption of fish has been shown to convey important health benefits. This paper presents a framework that accounts for both the adverse effects of multiple chemicals that may be in fish and the multiple health benefits that may be accrued by someone eating fish. The framework is designed to be flexible. It can include multiple chemicals, multiple benefits, differences in severity, the effect of cultural factors, a range of chemical concentrations, and a range of fish consumption rates. The end result is a net health curve that allows users to select the fish consumption rate(s) at which they maximize their health benefit.
Work performed, in part, under U.S. EPA Cooperative Agreement CX825499-01-0.
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